The last time DeMeco Ryans was on the field, the Texans were on their way to a 4-2 record.

In their victory over Kansas City on Oct. 17, 2010, at Reliant Stadium, Ryans suffered a ruptured Achilles' tendon that required surgery and more than nine months of rehabilitation.

The Texans found out what life was like without their leading tackler and defensive captain, finishing 2-8 for a disastrous 6-10 season and with the NFL's 30th-ranked defense.

Sunday, when the Texans begin the regular season against Indianapolis at Reliant Stadium, Ryans will line up at inside linebacker in Wade Phillips' new 3-4 scheme.

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Season opener

Texans vs. Colts

Noon Sunday, Reliant Stadium

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"Things happen that you can't really control, so I don't let those things frustrate me," Ryans said during a break in preparations for the start of the regular season. "I just let it run its course, and when it's time for me to line up with my guys, I'll be there."

Ryans and Cushing were a gruesome twosome in 2009, when both were voted to the Pro Bowl after the Texans finished 9-7. But they played together only 1½ games last season because Cushing was suspended for the first four games, and Ryans was injured in the sixth.

"It means a great deal to have DeMeco back," coach Gary Kubiak said. "When you walk around the building and people call you 'Cap,' that tells you what guys think of you. That's how much we think of him as a player and as a person.

"He's missed a lot of time. It's been a concern, but he's huge to this team."

Ryans missed a lot of practice time in camp and the last three preseason games because of a bruised elbow.

"My Achilles' is doing fine," Ryans (6-1, 248) said. "It's kind of been a blessing in disguise for me to have this time to do double rehab on my Achilles' and also on the elbow.

"I took a hit on it (elbow), and it was a bad bruise. I thought it was something small, but once I went to the doctor and got it checked out, it was a little bit more of a major concern than I thought it was. But now I'm ready to go."

Kubiak is concerned about all the practice time Ryans, 27, has missed because of his injuries.

"Everybody has to play to be at their optimum level, so to speak, going into the regular season, but there's nothing you can do about it," Kubiak said. "We were bringing him along with the Achilles', and then he had the elbow.

"DeMeco's played a lot of football in this league, so I'm not worried about that. It's just repetition. We'll have to do everything we can to get him as close to game reps as we can between now and Indianapolis."

Ryans doesn't expect to skip a beat.

"It's not a factor," he said about missing so much time. "As long as I know what to do when we line up and all 11 guys are on the same page on defense, we'll be fine.

"It (the defense) has been looking great. Guys have stepped in and played well. It's a pleasure to watch. I think we've made some strides. We're a lot better than we've been in the past, but we're still not satisfied. We still understand that we have a lot of things we can improve on.

"Everybody tune in and see how we do. I think we have a good group, and it's going to be fun to see all 11 playing for the first time together."